The Application of Activity Theory in Professional Inclusion of Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disability in the Workforce in Qatar

This chapter discusses Activity Theory (AT) (Engeström, 2001) as the lens through which the professional inclusion of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (YAwIDD) in Qatar is examined. Employment is viewed as a central component of autonomy and social participation, yet YAwIDD face intersecting barriers at structural, cultural, and institutional levels. After briefly discussing Structural–Functionalism (Durkheim, 1893; Parsons, 1951) for its insights on institutional roles and equilibrium, it will be argued that AT better captures the dynamic interactions, tensions, and change processes within complex activity systems. It outlines AT’s core components, including subject, tools/mediators, rules, community, and division of labor, and shows how these elements inform the formulation of the study’s research questions, the specification of units of analysis, and the design of data-collection instruments (e.g., family and educational professional questionnaires and YAwIDD and their guardians and employers interviews) and analytic strategies. The chapter thus clarifies the conceptual scaffolding for the inquiry without reporting findings, demonstrating how AT organizes attention to the contradictions between policy intentions and everyday practices, and identifies leverage points for improving inclusive employment pathways for YAwIDD in Qatar.